U.S. patent number 6,166,318 [Application Number 09/034,596] was granted by the patent office on 2000-12-26 for single absorber layer radiated energy conversion device.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Interface Studies, Inc.. Invention is credited to John Lawrence Freeouf.
United States Patent |
6,166,318 |
Freeouf |
December 26, 2000 |
Single absorber layer radiated energy conversion device
Abstract
A radiated energy to electrical energy conversion device and
technology is provided where there is a single absorber layer of
semiconductor material. The thickness of the absorber layer is much
less than had been appreciated as being useful heretofore in the
art. Between opposing faces the layer is about 1/2 or less of the
carrier diffusion length of the semiconductor material which is
about 0.02 to 0.5 micrometers. The thickness of the absorber layer
is selected for maximum electrical signal extraction efficiency and
may also be selected to accommodate diffusion length damage over
time by external radiation.
Inventors: |
Freeouf; John Lawrence
(Lewisboro, NY) |
Assignee: |
Interface Studies, Inc.
(Katonah, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
21877403 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/034,596 |
Filed: |
March 3, 1998 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
136/249; 136/243;
136/252; 136/256; 136/261; 136/262; 257/431; 257/436; 257/437;
257/459; 257/461; 257/464 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L
31/06 (20130101); Y02E 10/50 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01L
31/06 (20060101); H01L 031/06 (); H01L
031/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;136/252,261,262,256,249MS,249TS,243
;257/431,436,437,459,461,464 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
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.
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May 1996..
|
Primary Examiner: Diamond; Alan
Parent Case Text
Cross reference is made to the following copending applications
that are in the general field of this invention: application Ser.
No. 08/179,601 filed Jan. 10, 1994 pending, of John L. Freeouf
titled "Solid State Radiation Detector" and application Ser. No.
09/034,430 filed Mar. 3, 1998 pending titled "Multi Absorber Layer
Radiated Energy to Electrical Energy Conversion Device" and
assigned to the assignee of this invention.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A radiated energy to electrical energy conversion device wherein
radiated incident energy is introduced into a supported single
absorber layered structure in an incident energy path that is
essentially perpendicular to the layers of said layered structure,
comprising serially in combination along said incident energy
path:
an absorber of semiconductor material,
said absorber having,
first and second essentially flat parallel surfaces and a thickness
that is in a range from 0.02 to 0.5 of a micrometer,
a first high conductivity low energy attenuation conduction layer
extending across all of said first surface of said absorber,
a second high conductivity low energy attenuation conduction layer
extending across all of said second surface of said absorber,
a carrier separation mechanism in said absorber between said first
and said second high conductivity low attenuation conduction
layers, and,
an external electrical output connected to each of said first and
second high conductivity low attenuation conduction layers.
2. The radiated energy to electrical energy conversion device of
claim 1 wherein said carrier separation mechanism is across a p-n
junction in said absorber of semiconductor material.
3. The radiated energy to electrical energy conversion device of
claim 1 wherein said carrier separation mechanism is across an
intrinsic conductivity region between highly doped p and n regions
of said absorber of semiconductor material.
4. The radiated energy to electrical energy conversion device of
claim 1 wherein said carrier separation mechanism is across an
intrinsic conductivity region of said absorber of semiconductor
material forming an i-p junction at said first conduction layer of
said absorber and i-n junction at said second conduction layer of
said absorber.
5. The radiated energy to electrical energy conversion device of
claim 1 wherein said first and second high conductivity low energy
attenuation conduction layers are high extrinsic conductivity doped
portions of said semiconductor absorber.
6. The radiated energy to electrical energy conversion device of
claim 1 wherein each of said first and second high conductivity low
energy attenuation conduction layers is of metal and is about one
third the thickness of said absorber.
7. The radiated energy to electrical energy conversion device of
claim 1 wherein said semiconductor material is at least one of
crystalline, amorphous, polycrystalline and organic material.
8. The radiated energy to electrical energy conversion device of
claim 1 wherein said semiconductor material is a material taken
from the group consisting of Si, GaAs and InP.
9. The radiated energy to electrical energy conversion device of
claim 1 wherein said radiated energy in said incident energy path
passes through a transparent support layer of a material taken from
the group consisting of sapphire, silicon oxide and glass before
entering said absorber.
10. The radiated energy to electrical energy conversion device of
claim 1 further comprising a reflection mechanism positioned in
said incident energy path after said incident energy has passed
through said second high conductivity low energy attenuation layer
of said absorber.
11. The radiated energy to electrical energy conversion device of
claim 10 wherein said reflection mechanism comprises a highly
reflecting layer positioned in said incident energy path after said
incident energy has passed through said second high conductivity
low energy attenuation layer of said absorber.
12. The radiated energy to electrical energy conversion device of
claim 11 wherein said reflection mechanism further comprises a
roughened reflection and trapping layer positioned between said
absorber and said highly reflecting layer.
13. A radiated energy to electrical energy conversion device
wherein radiated incident energy is introduced into a single
absorber layered structure in an incident energy path that is
essentially perpendicular to the layers of said layered structure,
comprising, along said incident energy path, the serial combination
of:
a transparent support layer of a material taken from the group
consisting of aluminum oxide, silicon oxide and glass,
an absorber layer of InP semiconductor material,
said absorber having first and second essentially flat parallel
surfaces and a thickness that is in a range of 0.02 to 0.5 of a
micrometer,
said absorber further having three layers respectively,
a first layer of high conductivity, low energy attenuation,
conduction material of p+ conductivity about 100 .ANG. thick and
doped to about 1.times.10.sup.20 per cm.sup.3, positioned on and
extending across all of said first surface of said absorber,
a second layer of intrinsic conductivity, about 1000 .ANG. to 2800
.ANG. thick, doped to about 1.times.10.sup.13 per cm.sup.3,
positioned in contact with said p+ layer, and
a third layer of high conductivity, low energy attenuation,
conduction material of n+ conductivity, about 100 .ANG. thick,
doped to about 10.sup.20 per cm.sup.3, positioned in contact with
said intrinsic second layer, and extending across all of said
second surface of said absorber, said three layers providing the
function of a carrier separation mechanism in said absorber,
an external output connected to each of said high conductivity low
energy attenuation layers, and,
a reflection mechanism, for reflecting back into said absorber,
energy that has passed through said third layer of said absorber,
said reflection mechanism comprising a roughened reflection and
trapping capability layer positioned in contact with the third
absorber layer and a highly reflecting layer positioned in contact
with said reflection and trapping capability layer.
14. In a radiated energy to electrical energy conversion device
wherein radiated incident energy is introduced into a layered
absorber structure in an incident energy path that is essentially
perpendicular to the layers of said absorber, the improvement
comprising, along said incident energy path, the serial combination
of
a support layer of a material taken from the group consisting of
aluminum oxide, silicon oxide and glass,
an absorber layer of semiconductor material taken from the group of
Si, GaAs and InP,
said absorber layer having first and second essentially flat
parallel surfaces and a thickness that is in a range of 0.02 to 0.5
of a micrometer,
a first high conductivity low energy attenuation conduction layer
extending across all of said first surface of said absorber
layer,
a second high conductivity low energy attenuation conduction layer
extending across all of said second surface of said absorber
layer,
a carrier separation mechanism in said absorber between said first
and said second high conductivity low attenuation conduction
layers,
an external electrical output connected to each of said first and
said second high conductivity low attenuation conduction layers,
and,
a reflection mechanism, for reflecting back into said absorber,
energy that has passed through said second high conductivity low
energy attenuation conduction layer of said absorber, said
reflection mechanism comprising a roughened reflection and trapping
layer positioned in contact with said second high conductivity low
energy attenuation conduction layer and a highly reflecting layer
positioned in contact with said reflection and trapping layer.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
the invention relates to a highly efficient, single semiconductor
absorbtion layer, radiated energy conversion device in which there
is also provision for accommodation for performance degradation
resulting from exposure to external radiation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATION TO THE PRIOR ART
In the conversion of radiated energy to electrical energy, it has
been the practice in the art to use solid state semiconductor layer
structures that can produce hole-electron pairs that result from
atomic particles or photons, in passing through the semiconductor,
engaging in primary or secondary collisions with the semiconductor
material. The oppositely charged hole-electron pairs are extracted
from the absorber and into external circuitry as a signal before
they can recombine or be trapped in the semiconductor material.
The environment in which the conversion device is to be used also
has a major influence in the design. Use in the atmosphere,
nominally Air Mass 1.5 (AM1.5), usually takes place at room
temperature in light with a moderate ultra violet (UV) content and
minimal other energy radiation. Structural weight is of less
concern. Use beyond the atmosphere, in Air Mass 0 (AM0), involves a
larger range of temperatures, structural weight is a serious
consideration, the radiated energy, usually sunlight is intense
with a larger UV content and operation is often in the presence of
significant external energy radiation. Structures for AM0 operation
frequently have features designed to "harden" or slow down
deteriorating effects of external radiation on the performance of
the conversion device.
The single absorbtion layer type of radiated energy to electrical
energy conversion device has the advantages of essentially
unlimited breadth of device area and relative simplicity in
structural features and in fabrication. There are however, in such
a device, interrelated structural features that both produce and
extract the electrical energy together with reflective mechanisms
that operate to get more than one pass out of the radiated energy
in hole-electron pair production that, heretofore, in the art,
required tradeoffs that had a limiting effect on efficiency and
made control of radiation damage more difficult.
Among the influencing factors in the design of single absorbtion
member radiated energy to electrical energy conversion structures
are: the absorbtion lengths of the incident radiated energy in the
semiconductor material, the compatibility of any radiated energy
enhancement features with the extraction of the electrical energy,
the attenuation of the radiated energy by the contacting structure
and the compatibility of the overall conversion device structure
with manufacturing capability.
There has been activity in the art directed to single absorbtion
member semiconductor radiated energy to electrical energy
converters. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,286,306; 5,342,455; 5,401,330; and
5,419,783 conversion devices are described wherein structural
features that are placed in the absorber region of the absorbtion
member for one purpose, interfere with or add complexity, with
respect to another purpose. There is a need in the single
absorbtion member art for a radiation conversion device that can
provide high efficiency achieved with structural and manufacturing
simplicity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A radiated energy to electrical energy conversion device and
technology is provided where there is a single absorber layer of
semiconductor material in a single absorbtion member that has a
unique combination of interdependent features. The thickness of the
absorber layer is much less than had been appreciated heretofore in
the art as being useful, and makes possible the use of lower
quality semiconductor material. Between opposing faces the absorber
layer is about 1/2 or less of the carrier diffusion length of the
semiconductor material. The opposing faces of the absorber layer of
semiconductor material are each completely covered by a high
electrical conductivity, low radiated energy attenuation,
electrical conduction layer that extends to an edge of the device
for an electrical contact. There is a charge producing carrier
separation mechanism in the absorber layer between the conduction
layers. The thickness of the absorber layer is selected for maximum
electrical signal extraction efficiency and may also be selected to
accommodate diffusion length damage over time by external
radiation.
The radiated energy to electrical energy conversion device is also
provided with an incident radiated energy enhancement and support
structure positioned on the conduction layer on the incident
radiated energy receiving face of the absorber layer and with a
radiated energy internal reflection mechanism positioned on the
face of the absorber layer away from the incident radiation that
returns the energy that passed through the absorber for extra
absorbtion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the features of the single
absorber layer radiated energy to electrical energy conversion
device of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a band energy diagram illustrating the internal charge
producing carrier separation mechanism in the absorber layer.
FIG. 3 is a graph showing the electrical charge signal resulting
from production of a hole-electron pair in the absorber layer.
FIG. 4 is a radiation damage accommodating embodiment of the
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention it has been found that the
efficient absorbtion of incident radiated energy in a single
absorber layer semiconductor device is influenced by a greater
number of interrelated factors in different ranges than had been
appreciated and employed heretofore in the art. It had heretofore
been accepted that since the radiated energy contains a
distribution of photon/particles with different energy content, in
order to extract a practical amount of energy, it was desirable to
have an absorber that had a thickness approaching the full carrier
diffusion length. However, the closer to the diffusion length
assumed to be needed for thickness, the higher will be the required
quality of the semiconductor material. In contrast, in accordance
with the invention it has been found that most of the absorbtion
takes place essentially adjacent to the incident radiated energy
entrant surface, that in such a thin region there is greater
tolerance for semiconductor material defects, that there is a limit
to the amount of electrical energy that is extractable in the
practical sense, that additional absorber layer thickness distance
beyond that which is needed for maximum electrical extraction
produces deleterious effects including heat, and that structural
elements producing energy reflection in the absorbtion member
should be outside the charge extraction portion. In FIG. 1 there is
shown the features of the single absorber layer radiated energy to
electrical energy conversion device of the invention. The
conversion device of the invention has, along the path of the
incident radiated energy, a structural capability before the
incident energy entrant face that is devoted to maximizing the
entrant energy; there is a limited thickness, semiconductor
absorber layer arranged for maximum collision event capture with
full charge extraction of the resulting charge; and, there is a
back reflection and scattering mechanism positioned beyond the
absorber layer. For clarity the absorber layer will be described
first.
Referring to FIG. 1 the incident radiated energy 1 is absorbed in a
radiated energy to electrical energy conversion device 2 that has a
flat absorber layer 3 of semiconductor material between faces 4 and
5. Covering all of each of faces 4 and 5 and extending to the edge
are thin, up to about one third the thickness 10 of the absorber 3,
high electrical conductivity conduction layers 6 and 7 each having
a very low attenuation of the radiated energy that passes through.
There is an external electrical contact to each of conduction
layers 6 and 7 for transferring the extracted charge to integrating
external circuitry, symbolically depicted as external contact
elements 8 and 9. The absorber layer 3 is of a selected,
crystalline, amorphous, polycrystalline or organic, semiconductor
material with a bandgap in the range for absorbtion of the energy
photon/particle distribution in the incident energy. The thickness
10 of the material of the absorber 3 is related to the diffusion
length or distance a carrier produced by a collision event will
travel during carrier lifetime. In accordance with this invention
the layer 3 will have a thickness dimension 10 that is in the range
of 0.02 to 0.5 of a micrometer for the types of materials with an
acceptable bandgap.
It should be noted that the semiconductor material used heretofore
in the art has been of the type known as high quality in which
there are minimum carrier traps that could prevent a hole-electron
pair formed in the semiconductor material as a result of a
photon/particle collision from contributing to an output signal and
that to have high quality, single crystal epitaxially grown
material is usually needed. In contrast, the structure of the
absorber 3 in this invention is such that every collision produced
carrier is within a fraction of it's diffusion length from a
conduction layer so that there is a substantial relaxation of any
need for high quality semiconductor material.
In the absorber layer 3 a mechanism is provided that separates
positively and negatively charged carriers produced by the incident
radiated energy photon/particle collision events in the
semiconductor absorber layer 3 and produces a sweeping field that
moves the carriers to the conduction layers 6 and 7.
In FIG. 2 there is shown a semiconductor energy band diagram that
illustrates the type of shift of the relationship of the Fermi
level Ef with respect to the valence band edge Ev and the
conduction band edges Ec that will produce the carrier separation
mechanism and the resulting sweeping field.
In the energy band diagram of FIG. 2 a p region and an n region
meet at a transition 11 with respect to the Fermi level defined by
dashed lines, the separation of which varies under different
structural arrangements. For example where there is a p and an n
region meeting at a p n junction the separation could be as small
as about 20 Angstroms (.ANG.) whereas with an intrinsic region with
a thin p layer or i-p junction formed at one conduction layer and a
thin n layer or i-n junction at the other conduction layer, the
separation could be essentially the absorber layer thickness
10.
The carriers, majority and minority, resulting from a collision
event in the absorber layer 3 produce a significant signal that has
only a few nanosecond duration.
Referring to FIG. 3 an example output signal, developed between
terminals 8 and 9 of FIG. 1, is illustrated; and in connection with
FIGS. 1 and 2; the signals from all the collision events occurring
in the absorber layer 3 are swept into the conduction layers 6 and
7 for sensing at terminals 8 and 9 and integrated into a steady
state DC signal in, standard in the art external circuitry, not
shown.
The semiconductor material of the absorber layer 3 has a bandgap
related to the spectral distribution of the photons/particles in
the incident energy. If the bandgap is too large, too little energy
will be absorbed. If the bandgap is too small, the maximum
available output voltage will be too small. In a single absorbtion
member conversion device of the type of this invention, the output
voltage cannot be larger than the bandgap. Where the spectral
distribution is of the order of that from the sun, which would be
radiation essentially equivalent to that from a 6000 degree
Kelvin(K) black body, an optimum bandgap would be in about the
range of 1.4 to 1.5 electron volts (Ev); whereas where the spectral
distribution is of the order of that from an ordinary heating
element; which would be radiation essentially equivalent to that
from a 2000 degree Kelvin(K) black body, an optimum bandgap would
be in about the range of 0.4 to 0.7 electron volts (EV).
The semiconductor absorber layer 3 thickness 10 also takes into
consideration an absorbtion distance through which the incident
energy must pass in order that the desired photon/particles will be
absorbed. Since the photon/particle energy distribution is not
linear the absorbtion distance will not be not linear.
In accordance with this single absorber layer radiated energy to
electrical energy invention the major portion of the absorbtion
takes place within a very short absorbtion distance and efficiency
is greatest where the absorbtion distance thickness, element 10 of
FIG. 1, of the layer 3 is that at which maximum electrical charge
extraction takes place; which in turn is in a range up to about 1/2
the distance a carrier will travel in the semiconductor material
during the carrier lifetime.
the thickness 10 of the absorber layer 3 may be viewed as being
influenced by opposing constraints and a selection will be a
tradeoff. The layer must be thick enough for absorbtion, but in
general, any semiconductor material in which radiated energy can be
absorbed, but from which electrical energy extraction cannot occur,
should be kept to a minimum as it reduces efficiency. However, even
though some added thickness beyond that for which charge can be
fully extracted with the amount of sweeping field that can be
applied or obtained in a practical sense does not add much to the
output; some additional thickness may still may be useful under
some conditions.
The carrier extraction sweeping field can be achieved as described
in connection with FIG. 2 by the effect of hole-electron separation
in the structure. In a practical sense with the carrier separation
sweeping field in this invention the thickness 10 would be in the
range of 0.02-0.5 micrometer.
The absorber layer 3 material and thickness 10 are design
considerations that can be optimized for specific conditions such
as for narrow spectral energy distributions and for accommodation
for device deterioration produced by radiation.
As a generalized example the diffusion length is about 3
micrometers for hole type carriers in high quality semiconductor
materials GaAs and InP, so that an absorber layer 3 in those
materials would have a thickness dimension 10 that would be less
than 1.5 micrometers.
In table 1 there is shown the transmitted power in relation to
absorbtion thickness for the materials Silicon (Si), Gallium
Arsenide (GaAs) and Indium Phosphide (InP).
TABLE 1 ______________________________________ Thickness Material
in micrometers Power ______________________________________ Si 500
7.6% 100 9.5% 10 19.5% 1 50% 0.1 77.9% 0.02 86.5% GaAs 100 17.5% 10
17.6% 12 1 20.7% 0.1 50% 0.02 75% InP 100 13.5% 10 14.1% 1 15.5%
0.1 44% 0.02 75% ______________________________________
As an illustration of the reasoning involved in the thickness
dimension tradeoff, for both GaAs and InP at 1 micrometer thickness
about 95% of the AM0 power that will be absorbed by that material
is in fact, absorbed. Where there is an increase in the thickness
to 10 micrometers, there is an added 1% to 2% of the absorbed power
but this small percentage gain is outweighed by the added
electrical losses because even if perfect, GaAs and InP will still
have diffusion lengths of 3 micrometers.
In the opposite direction of the tradeoff, going in the thinner
direction, for InP at a thickness of 0.1 micrometer 64% of the
total accessible power is absorbed, and for GaAs it is 60% for the
same thickness. In other words in this invention over half the
available power is absorbed in the first 0.1 micrometer of
thickness 10 along the incident energy path through the entrant
face 4. The absorbed power roughly doubles between and 0.02
micrometer thickness 10 and a 0.1 micrometer thickness 10 for both
examples GaAs and InP. Correspondingly, if the electrical
extraction efficiency from 0.1 micrometer of material is more than
half as efficient as it is from 0.02 micrometer of material there
would be a gain in total power output by the increase in thickness.
The gain however, decreases at greater thicknesses so that the
tradeoff becomes more demanding. For example, for InP the power
absorbed changes from 64% to 98% as the thickness 10 changes from
0.1 micrometer to 1 micrometer. In the design tradeoff this
thickness increase is worthwhile only if the electrical efficiency
for power extraction for 1 micrometer is more than 65% of that for
0.1 micrometer. For the example InP, this constraint is set
initially, but in an AM0 type application after exposure to
10.sup.16 1 Mev electrons/cm.sup.2 of radiation, the carrier
diffusion length will then have deteriorated to 0.5 micrometer, so
that having a thicker layer would no longer be effective as an
improvement.
In accordance with the invention the design considerations of the
absorber layer 3 material and thickness 10 in the structure of the
device 2 provides a new ability to accommodate the deterioration of
a conversion device resulting from use in the presence of extensive
external radiation such as occurs in AM0 conditions. The effect of
that external radiation is to reduce the diffusion length.
In table 2 the diffusion length of the materials Si, GaAs and InP
is shown for radiation exposure per 1 MeV electrons/cm.sup.2.
TABLE 2 ______________________________________ Material and
Diffusion Length Radiation Exposure (1MeV electrons/cm.sup.2) in
micrometers none 1e15 1e16 1e17 1e18
______________________________________ Si 200 30 10 3 1 GaAs 3 0.1
InP 3 0.3 0.15 ______________________________________
Heretofore in the art in addition to the use of higher band gap
materials, the principal approach to reducing the deterioration
from external radiation has been to provide shielding or hardening
in order to prevent the external radiation from getting into the
moderately doped portions of the structure. In this invention,
essentially the only moderately doped region in the absorber 3 is
in the charge separation mechanism. That region is very small, in
fact it may be as small as the p-n transition region 11 of FIG. 2
which may, on a very abrupt p-n junction, be of the order of 20
.ANG. across. The conversion device of this invention can operate
effectively on very small diffusion lengths. This capability can
provide an accommodation for substantial external radiation while
the conversion structure still retains useful operability and
efficiency. This feature of the structure of the invention is
highly valuable in heavy radiation applications because at the 0.02
to 0.5 micrometer thicknesses of the invention electrical
efficiency losses due to carrier diffusion length do not become
important until much more massive degradation of the semiconductor
material than has been seen heretofore in the art has occurred.
As an illustration, a state of the art device of InP or GaAs
material would ordinarily have an absorbtion thickness of about the
diffusion length or about 3 micrometers and would provide about a
20% efficiency. In contrast, in accordance with this invention, if
such a device, using GaAs or InP as the semiconductor material and
being equipped with an absorber layer 3 of the invention with a
thickness 10 of only 0.1 micrometer, will still provide an
efficiency of about 10%. If such a device were to have InP as the
semiconductor material and equipped with an absorber layer 3 of the
invention with a thickness 10 of about 0.02 micrometer, will still
provide an efficiency of about 5%. In both cases it is assumed the
diffusion length is greater than 0.3 micrometers. Thus the
structure of the invention will be more tolerant of lower quality
semiconductor material and will have a much longer useful lifetime,
under conditions where diffusion length is reduced under radiation,
than has been seen heretofore in the art.
Were an external bias to be applied between terminals 8 and 9 full
charge extraction over a greater distance would be possible but
that bias could not be so large as to produce junction break
down.
It is to be noted that; in the structure of this invention, with
there being an absorber layer only between 0.02 and 0.5 micrometers
thick, and that layer being completely covered on both faces 4 and
5 with high conductivity signal extraction material conduction
layers 6 and 7; an electrical extraction capability is provided in
which any carrier resulting from any hole electron pair radiated
energy collision event in the absorber layer 3 needs at most a
small portion of it's diffusion length in travel to reach the
contacting layers 4 and 5.
The materials suitable for the absorber layer 3 are semiconductors
with a high enough band gap that thermally generated current does
not significantly affect performance and that matches the power
spectrum of the radiated energy being absorbed. The absorber layer
3 is produced in a thickness 10 range from about 0.02 to 0.5
micrometer and will required further processing for a support
member 12 and energy entrant efficiency element 13 on one surface
and an energy reflection mechanism 14 on the other surface. The
absorber layer 3 can be grown using the Metal Organic Chemical
Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) technique standard in the art. Which
technique provides very good control of layers in the desired
thickness range and very reproducible devices. The growth process
involves the use of vapor phase chemicals such as phosphine for the
anion source and tri-methyl indium for the cation source. The
gasses are passed over a hot substrate in a range of from 600 to
750 degrees C. where they react to form the compound desired.
Growth rates of 10 to 200 nanometers per minute at a pressure of
0.1 to 1 atmosphere, with an inlet ratio of V/III of about 10 to
500, may be used.
The structure of the invention, being based on a design principle
where improved output is achieved from material considered to be of
poor quality, the design will also improve efficiency in cases
where the material is of poor quality for reasons different from
radiation damage. For instance where the growth operation takes
place on a lattice mismatched substrate, such as GaAs on sapphire
or InP on Si, which leads to material with a substantial density of
misfit dislocations, and a correspondingly small carrier diffusion
length. While this situation would impact the efficiency of a
device that required the full diffusion length the structure of
this invention would be minimally affected if at all.
Among the approaches for use of the thin layer after it's removal
from the substrate, the most convenient is to metallize the free
surface employing a grade pattern for light transmission, bond the
metallized surface to a transparent substrate, remove the original
substrate by etching the sacrifical layer, metallize the back
surface which is now exposed using a transparent metal with a rough
surface followed by a highly reflective metal. As another approach
the free surface could be coated with a transparent metal with a
rough surface followed by a highly reflective metal then bond to a
substrate that does not need to transmit light for example metal,
then remove the original substrate by etching the sacrificial layer
followed by metallization using a grid for light transmission. Both
approaches now have a single exposed surface to which another
substrate can be bonded.
The absorber layer 3 is grown on a sacrifical, etch responsive
layer, on a substrate. On the incident energy side, the conduction
layer 6 is then deposited, followed by the positioning of a
supporting cover of the order of about 200 micrometers thick of
glass 12. The sacrifical layer and substrate are then removed by
etching thereby exposing the face 5. Thereafter, the conduction
layer 7 is applied on the face 5 followed by the reflection
mechanism 14. As examples; for GaAs a sacrificial layer of AlGaAs
grown on a GaAs substrate would be used with an HF etchant; for InP
a sacrificial layer of InGaAs grown on a InP substrate would be
used with an HCl etchant.
In accordance with the invention the radiated energy to electrical
energy conversion device has all structural features pertaining to
entry of the incident energy on the entrant face of a thin film
controlled thickness absorber layer and all energy reflection
features on the remaining face of the absorber layer. The absorber
layer 3 with conduction layers 6 and 7 can also be used as one
independent absorbtion member in a serial incident radiation path
device, that may have many other absorbtion layers.
Returning to FIG. 1, the incident radiation 1 is in a form that has
been concentrated as is standard in the art. The conversion device
has an element 12 positioned between, a standard in the art,
antireflection coating 13 and the conductive layer 6. The element
12 provides support for the thin device structure, and can be a
glass over or a transparent oxide of silicon or sapphire of the
order of about 200 micrometers in thickness to which the up to 1/2
micrometer thickness absorber may be attached or grown.
Further in FIG. 1, beyond the conductive layer 7 of the absorber 2,
in the incident radiation path, there is provided a reflection
mechanism 14 for providing multiple passes through the absorber of
the radiated energy. The reflection mechanism 14 includes a highly
reflective coating 15, such as silver, positioned on a transparent
oxide or metal layer 16 that is about 2.0 micrometers in thickness
and with a roughened reflection capability depicted as element 17
such as would be produced by sputtering or by laser ablation and
positioned between the layer 16 and the highly reflective coating
15. In operation in the reflection mechanism, the highly reflective
coating 15 returns most of the energy back into the absorber for
continued absorbtion passes. The roughened reflection capability 17
further causes many angular internal reflection energy passes that
operate as energy trapping. Overall the reflection mechanism adds a
50% increment to the efficiency.
In FIG. 4 an embodiment of the principles of the invention is shown
that accommodates substantial radiation damage thus exhibiting a
much longer useful lifetime than has been seen heretofore in the
art for use under similar intense radiation conditions.
Under AM0 conditions there is a region known as the Van Allen belt
that is around 3200 kilometers above the earth where the radiation
exposure is so intense that a conventional radiated energy to
electrical energy converter would only have a useful life of the
order of days. The radiation level in the Van Allen belt heretofore
has caused the powering of communication satellites by radiated
energy conversion to be confined to altitudes above the earth of
about 700 kilometers in order for the converters to have a
practical useful lifetime. However, at such a low altitude there
would be required three times as many satellites as would be needed
if it were possible to have a radiated energy to electrical energy
converter that had an acceptable useful lifetime that would operate
in the Van Allen belt. Through the principles of the invention the
embodiment of FIG. 4 provides a radiated energy to electrical
energy conversion device that has a useful life of a decade in the
radiation intensity of the the type encountered in the Van Allen
belt.
The semiconductor material of the absorber is InP, which although
it has been used heretofore in radiated energy to electrical energy
conversion devices, with this invention a slower diffusion length
deterioration in the presence of intense radiation property is of
advantage.
Referring to FIG. 4, where the same reference numerals as used in
earlier figures are used where appropriate, the incident radiated
energy, which for this AM0 application is solar photon energy, is
labelled element 1 and is incident over the area of an
antireflection layer 13 that in turn is on a glass support layer
12. The device 2 is made up of a an absorber layer 3 of Indium
Phosphide (InP) on which there is a first conduction layer 6 on a
first face 4 and there is a second conduction layer 7 on a second
face 5. The conductive layer 6 being in contact with the support
layer 12. The absorber 3 is made up of a high conductivity, doped
to about 1.times.10.sup.20 per cm.sup.3, n+ layer 3A that is about
100 .ANG. thick, separated from a high conductivity, doped to about
1.times.10.sup.20 per cm.sup.3 p+ layer 3B that is about 100 .ANG.
thick, by an essentially intrinsic low conductivity layer 3C, that
is doped to about 1.times.10.sup.13 per cm.sup.3 p-, and that is in
the range of from about 1000 .ANG. to about 2800 .ANG. thick that
serves the function of the region 11 of FIG. 2. Together the layers
3A, 3B and 3C provide the charge separation mechanism of the
device. In contact with the conduction layer 7 is a photon
reflecting and trapping mechanism 14 made up of a transparent metal
or oxide 16, such as SnO or InSnO, the back side of which is
abraded and is depicted as roughened element 17, then covered by a
highly reflecting metal layer 15, such as Ag. The overall combined
thickness of layers 3A, 3B and 3C corresponding to dimension 10 of
FIG. 1 is designed when built at the beginning of life (BOL) to be
within the range of 0.02 to 0.5 micrometers which in turn is
between 1/3 and 1/2 of the diffusion length that will occur after
exposure in orbit to the expected radiation for the duration to the
time of the projected end of the life (EOL) of the conversion
device. For example assuming a goal to be survival of the
conversion device in -10.sup.17 1 Mev electrons/cm.sup.2- radiation
until the diffusion length deteriorates to 1/2 the value in table
2, or 0.15 micrometers for InP. It will be apparent that design at
BOL will be initially such that there will be a tradeoff of
significant energy lost through the absorber film at BOL that is
offset by extended EOL.
In assembling the device, after bonding the absorbtion region grown
on a sacrificial layer of InGaAs on GaAs, to the cover glass
support layer, there may be a need for a blocking agent such as
black wax to protect the cover glass and the interface during
separation of the InGaAs by etching in HCl.
What has been described is the structure and fabrication of a
single layer radiated energy to electrical energy conversion device
where an absorber layer thickness is selected for maximum
electrical extraction, lower quality semiconductor material is
tolerated, and accommodation is available for selected useful life
duration under radiation.
* * * * *